ARMING THE LINERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 125, 27 May 1913, Page 5

ARMING THE LINERS.

THE CERAMIC FITTED. \ FIRST AUSTRALIAN TRADER. (Received S a.m.)

LONDON, May 26.

Messrs Harland and Wolff, of Belfast, are fitting the White Star steamer Ceramic with two 4."in quick-firing guns.

The Ceramic is the first Australian merchantman to be armed in accordance with the Admiralty's new policy.

The First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr Winston Churchill), in the course of his statement in the House of Commons recently, foreshadowed closer co-operation between the Admiralty and the merchant service. He said:—"lt was made clear at the second Hague Conference and the London Conference that certain of the great Powers have reserved to themselves the right to convert merchant steamers into cruisers, not merely in national harbours, but, if necessary, on the high seas. There is now good reason to believe that a considerable number of foreign merchant steamers may be rapidly converted into armed ships by the mounting of guns. The sea-borne trade of the world follows well-marked routes, upon nearly all of which the tonnage of the British mercantile marine largely predominates. Our food-carrying liners and vessels carrying raw material following these trade routes would, in certain contingencies, meet foreign vessels armed and equipped in the manner described.

,'Tf the British ships had.no armament theywould be 'at the mercy of any foreign liners carrying one effective gun and a few rounds of ammunition. It would be obviously absurd to meet the contingency of considerable numbers of foreign armoured merchant cruisers on the high seas hy building an equal number of cruisers. That would expose this country to an expenditure of money to meet the particular danger altogether disproportionate to the expense caused to any foreign Power in creating that danger. Hostile cruisers, wherever'they are found, will be covered and met by British ships-of-war; but the proper reply to an armed merchantman is another merchantman armed in her own defence. This is the position to which the. Admiralty has felt it necessary to draw the attention of leading shipowners. We have felt justified in pointing out to them the danger to life and property which would be incurred if their vessels were totally. incapable of offering any defence to an attack.

"The shipowners have responded to the i Admiralty invitation with cordiality, and substantial progress has been made in the I direction of meeting it as a defensive measure by preparing to equip a number j of fist-clJss British liners to repel the attack of an armed foreign merchant cruiser. Although these vessels have, of course, a wholly different status from that of the regularly-commissioned merchant cruisers, such as those we obtain under the Cunard agreement, the Admiralty has felt that the greater part of the cost of the necessary equipment shouM B*t fall upon the owners, and we have decided, therefore, to lend the necessary guns, to supply ammunition, and to provide for the training of members of the ship's company to form the guns' crews. The owners on their part are paying the cost of the necessary structural conversion, which is not great."